The Zero Waste Myth

Waste in Accra, Ghana

There has been a lot of attention lately about living zero waste lifestyles or the promotion of reducing waste through minimised packaging, consumption and ultimately consumerism. I have been chastising myself for every bit of plastic I use and anything I consume trying to achieve this very goal. As a rule I generally aim to use as little as possible, I bring containers, I buy used clothing and try not to accumulate much, the overall objectives of the green living we all need to adopt to reduce our environmental impact and reduce the effects of climate change. Yet, I can't help looking at my garbage bin at the end of each month and seeing my failure in its contents.

When I came to West Africa I had this idea that because people lived in poverty and with fewer means they would waste less and reuse everything. I imagined a world of a hundred years ago where living simply meant living with little impact, which is not the reality I have encountered.  The naivety of this idea now astounds me; countries in the developing world have totally embraced the disposable life. People here use plastic bags like they are going out of style; I am even laughed at when I bring reusable bags to the grocery store. This leads me to the truth behind the trend of zero waste; it is a privileged and western concept.

Recycled Art: Ghana

Extremes are not helpful in increasing participating in a green economy. When we put the extreme labels of zero-waste and total minimalism we are setting a rather unachievable standard that at best perpetuates the divisions in class and at worst, deters environmental behaviour. A friend told me, "we are just worried about the bread and butter, I can not even begin to consider sustainability until our basic needs are met." A disconnect exists in the environmental movement between making greener choices without considering accessibility to the broader human spectrum.

When we examine the trend that is environmentalism and the niche of zero-waste what I can’t help but see the pressure we put on each other to achieve a sort of eco-perfection. As if we needed anymore stress in our already chaotic post Trump lives we must further be bombarded with messaging about being the greenest, the minimalist and aiming to achieve the impossible.  This all or nothing attitude serves to dissuade those who may have been interested in greener choices but is then scared off from fear of failure. Effects of climate change on mental health cause a sort of eco-anxiety as we worry about our impacts, our outputs, our futures. But how can we take these fears and use them to fuel our action towards lower impact lifestyles? 

If total Zero waste seems just a little out of reach for you, try following these principles as an expanded version of the 3 R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle):

Reject-   Speak up against the capitalist model that perpetuates our over consumptive lives!

Refuse- Just say no to things, decline non-reusable materials.

Support companies that offer repairs like Patagonia 

Reduce- Buy less, simple enough.

Reuse-   Reuse plastic bags, water bottles, food containers etc.

Repair- Fix things instead of disposing or replacing them.

Repurpose- Up-cycle something old to something new, like a dress to a pillowcase.

Recycle- If you have facilities to do this, use them! In Ghana we don't even have recycling and it pains me.

Let us allow the imperfections in life that make us all human. Sometimes you will use a water bottle, sometimes we will eat fast food but as long as we ensure that the principles that guide our every day choices are the least impactful we can still affect change. Maybe together we can build each other up instead of deterring our further progress and make an accessible movement that all people can be apart of. So let's stop trying to be perfect and just make better choices, ok? 

Cheers,

Melanie XX

"The only thing you can't recycle is wasted time" - Unknown 

Minimalism Mel?

Capilano Suspension Bridge- Vancouver, BC

My contract was up, my lease was up, I looked around and realised I was totally free! How lucky I felt. So I decided to pack up and move on. I am currently road tripping through the US on route to Ottawa to see some folks. From there I am going abroad, to where is still undecided. What was decided was that I needed less stuff. Thus the struggle, challenge and liberating experience began to eliminate all the things from my life and to fit into my little coupe.  As therapeutic as it may seem to sell off my worldly possessions to travel again, it is also a very difficult and humbling experience for me. Though this is not the first time I have moved away, or started over, this time I am approaching it from a different angle.

The first time I left home I was 21 and heading to Europe. I sold all the IKEA furniture I had accumulated in my Toronto apartment, stored many boxes at my parents and took 4 suitcases with me. I got rid of the cheap things that I collected to fit into the world I didn't. I moved to BC with 3 suitcases, but would have needed a moving van to leave it. This time around I took care and time in accumulating the things I now wish to rid myself of, which is maybe why its hurting more. They may be worth less in gold but I carefully thrifted, swapped, received and made everything I have now. When I sell my car it is something that I took time in searching for, painstakingly maintained and made memories. It makes it harder to part with.

Mt Walker- Olympic National Forest, WA

Last week was hard, I sold my chickens who were a source of food from their eggs and beloved pets. Then I sold my bicycle, Bernadette, a bike I loved so much I named. With the weight of their worth in my pocket in the form of funny coloured bills I replaced my things with a value that doesn't translate to how I valued them. To me its not as simple as buying something new. Its a choice every time I make a purchase, towards the type of economy and world I support and want to live in.

Donating old clothes, selling off furniture and pieces I could have kept a lifetime. That's just it, I don't need any of it. I remind myself every time. When I teared up a bit when my last chicken left I told myself "I will survive." The ability to willingly let go of these things, even if I love them is in itself a privilege. I acknowledge this and vow to use their "worth" towards the idea that I will find happiness through the experiences I am about to have, and not through the things I am letting go of.

By shedding what ties me down to this place it also makes me free from it.

Bob Red Mill- Milwaukee, Or

Minimalism Mel? When it all adds up; having things translates to consuming. We should all consume less to preserve the environment and its resources, therefore minimalism should be embraced. This time I plan to go abroad with 1 bag, and leave behind 1 box. Every time I buy something I need to ensure I have to space and willingness to carry it with me, it makes me buy less. Every day on my road trip I eliminate something from the car, its like a little game I play. Yesterday the cooler got cut "you have been eliminated" I told it, as I dropped it off at goodwill in downtown Portland, Oregon.

Things can be replaced,  you can learn to live with less, the adventures and memories I'm making cannot.

Have a lovely day,

Melanie

Follow me on my travels on Instagram @melaniejadea

"The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak." -Hans Hoffman

Why You Should STOP Catering Your Events

With the holidays behind us it is time to reflect on the absurdities of excess we experienced over the holiday season. The biggest one of all being all that leftover food that gets thrown out from parties and events when there is just sooo much leftover.

Food Waste in Canada

I'm sure you've heard by now that food waste is a major issue, with up to 40% of all food that is produced being wasted. A lot of waste that we see, especially in an institution, is from catered events and conferences. Catering has systemic issues of processing. The age old custom of ensuring you have enough food to feed everyone has turned into an industry practice. Kitchens will now prepare 10-20%  more food than was ordered to ensure they're is enough if everyone on the guest list shows up and in case there are extra people. Combine this with the often tendency of the organizer to order enough food for how many people you invited instead of realistically how many will pull through in the end. This can be as much as 20-30% higher than the actual attendance of the event. This means you can be left with up to 50% extra food being made than needed...time a million events is a lot of food! What happens to that food? Well if it is served food that is left out, it has to be thrown in the garbage!!!! Because it is no longer food safe or allowed to be donated.

Food Rescued from the garbage

Ok I'll admit that the portion of waste associated with conference and events is less than consumers waste at home (47% of food was is from the consumer). But it's still a big enough number that we should do something about it.

So what can you do?

• Order less, order 20% less than you think you will need to ensure no food is left over 
• Consider lighter fair, smaller amounts of food that can be more easily eaten 
• Ask for half, the kitchen can hold back a portion of the food, food that is prepared but not served can still be donated or reused in the kitchen. 
• Bring containers, or ask for take out containers so guests can take leftovers home. Otherwise, they will be thrown out.
•  Don't order! Have drinks instead or try potluck style for less formal events. 

Or maybe you could be like me and run around trying to salvage leftovers before caterers return to dispose of them ;) Yum!

Enjoy,

Melanie XX

"Waste not, Want not" -Proverb

VIA: The more (in)human way to travel?

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Last year I took Via rail from Jasper to Toronto for my annual pilgrimage to my homeland and to attend a conference at the same time, the view was beautiful but the service was discriminatory and pretty awful. This year  I decided to give it another shot and was joined by my sister from Vancouver all the way to Ottawa. This nearly 5 day journey would be made even more daunting by adding the budgetary restraints of students which meant we could only afford coach seats and not cabins. For 4 nights we would have to eat, sleep and live in our chairs only venturing up and down the cars for the occasional stretch and exploration. 

The classes are divided by the seating, service and physical compartments of the train. We in coach sat at the front and had access to the cafe and viewing car by day and the dining car by reservation for hot meals. The us and them perspective of the train had me thinking about what type of people would be using this mode of transportation. In the cabins it seemed to be largely retiree’s and upper middle class families that could afford the $1000 to 10,000 cost per person for a luxury cabin that comes with a sleeping surface. 

Mount Robson, BC

At least once I planned to go to the dinning car for a nice meal. When I entered the dinning car with my sister for breakfast once morning we were immediately addressed as economy class passengers in front of the other passengers, to clearly define our status to them. We were then asked if we understood that this meal would be more expensive then the canteen in our area of the train and asked if we could afford it.  I was like "WHAAAAAAAT!" The obvious display of classism was never more apparent to me then in this moment and I wanted to leave immediately but instead forced my way through a breakfast that seemed so unappealing. I am not ashamed of my poverty, being able to afford a train ticket is a luxury in itself and should not be under valued. Our service was inferior to others and the constant glares from the other passengers made the rest of the meal really uncomfortable.

The train is supposed to be the most sustainable mode of travelling cross country with less emissions then a plane or car journey. And yet I couldn’t help but feel as if I was on a cruise ship dumping waste at every port and living extravagantly. Every meal in coach is served in a styrofoam container and there very little recycling. VIA contracted out their meal planning and catering years ago to a corporate model so poor food quality and heavily processed ingredients are a standard on board. Sure we expelled fewer emissions but the waste that was produced in the 5 days of the route we were on might surely make up for any initials carbon savings.

Somewhere in Ontario

This combined with the obnoxious and elitist service makes me questions the slogan "the more human way to travel". I secretly dreamed of becoming the VIA rail sustainability manager and leading them down a path of greener choices. A business however established must constantly be engaged in strategies to be more sustainable if they want to continue in the future as environmental compassion begins to trickle into the main stream. 

Like last year I left the train with a bitter sweet taste in my mouth and 8 hours behind schedule. I had enjoyed the view but was left with too many gaps in my mind to appreciate the journey. As a locavore I took the train instead of a flight as it was the exception we made to travel as long is it was not a personal vehicle or flight it seemed more ethical. I love taking trains, I will most likely continue using them as my transportation of preference, however I am not certain I will choose this service again.

But at least now I have made it to my destination, Toronto, Ontario which I am here to attend the National Student Food Summit with Meal Exchange for the weekend. If have places I should check out in Toronto or Ottawa let me know by Twitter @melaniejadea

XX Melanie

"But I complain about the police the way the rich complain; not the way the poor complain. The difference is everything." Aravind Adiga, The White Tiger 

Freeganism or Free-loading?

Muffins being put in the garbage

Sometimes there is a fine line between what I do when I salvage food waste... and being a bum. As anyone who has ever met me would know, food waste is a major pet peeve of mine. So if anything is going to be left behind more often then not I will take it home or try to find a mouth to eat it. But sometimes I can't help but feel that the things I am eating from the trash or taking from events, are not normally apart of a local diet. Last week I found a compost bin full of ripe bananas, they were still yellow with brown spots so had been discarded, naturally I took them home and threw them in the freezer to be future banana loaves. A locavore eating bananas? How can this be apart of a local diet?

Confession: I take the garnishes off of platters and bring them home! Kale Smoothie anyone?

Freeganism is a play on words with veganism and eating free food, it has been typically associated with dumpster divers and therefore people of lower income standing and not necessarily those looking to reduce waste. But by taking food for free you are also moving to an anti consumer ideology and alternative form of living. When I take food that is destined for the compost bin or worse, the landfill, I am ensuring food will be consumed and not wasted. I am not purchasing or selecting it in any way so do not become part of the demand for it. Or do I?

Confession: I take unused lemon wedges from drinks at the bar. Lemon Earl Grey tea!

The lineup from the Residence Reciprocity room.
Because they are open they should be thrown out.

By taking leftovers I can't shake the feeling that there are others that need it more then I do. The ethical dilemma doesn't stop me from taking things that were meant for the garbage though as I more often the not end up as a last line of defence for food from catered events and reciprocity shelves.  Sometimes I feel that these issues are more prevalent in Universities which is why I so often get lucky or maybe just because I am aware of these issues now I notice them more often. My diet has become heavily subsidised by free food either given to me by friends or that I find abandoned. In any case with the end of the semester and everyone moving out I was given so much food this year and found so much more left behind at the school I will be set for the rest of my days...well on olive oil vinegar at least.

So taking leftover food: freeganism or free-loading?


XX Melanie


"The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion."- Albert Camus